Planoqraph co



l. D. THORNBURGH.

METHOD OF msm LINING CAN ENDS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB- I3. I918.

Patented Oct. 14, 1919.

2 SHEETSSHE ET I.

INVENTOR. in.

WITNESS. $.W.

A TTORNE Y,

1m: CGLUMBIA rmmoGn/mu' co'l, WASHINGTON, n c.

l. D. THORNBURGH.

METHOD OF GASKET LINING CAN ENDS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 13. IBM].

1,318,935.. Patented Oct. 14,1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

INVENTOR.

WITNESS. r It a2 8 I BY *1; .A'TTORNEY,

. THE COLUMBIA PLANOKIRAPH 110.. WASHINGTON, n. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

IVAN D. THORNBURG-I-I, OF BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR 'lO AMERICANCAN COMPANY, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

METHOD OF GASKET-LINING CAN ENDS.

Application filed February 13, 1918.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, IVAN D. TrionNnUneH, a citizen of the United States,residing at Berkeley, in the county of Alameda and State of California,have invented certain new and useful In'iprovements in Methods of Gaslcet-Lining Can Ends,-of which the following is a specification.

The hereinafter described invention relates to a method for preparingcan ends for subsequent use in the art of hermetically sealing filledcontainers, more particularly that class of containers designed for thepreservation of food products; the object of the invention being toprovide the flange of the can ends with a paper or other fibrous linerwithout the employn'ient of the complex machinery heretofore employed inconnection with the gasket lining of such can ends, and avoiding thewaste which follows the cutting of gasket liners from liner material.

The usual practice in connection with the forming of gasket linersapplied to the flange of can ends for use in the hermetic sealing ofwhat is known in the art as sanitary cans or containers, is to cut thepaper ring liners either from a web or from a blank of suitable linermaterial and thereafter to apply the liner so cut to the flange of thecan ends as an integral liner. Inasmuch as the gasket liner is cut froma web or from a blank of liner material, th re is considerable waste ofthe paper employed from which to produce the gasket liner and somewhatcomplex machinery is required for the cutting of such liners. Owing tothe fragile character of the cut liner considerable care is required inthe subsequent handling thereof for the proper application of the sameto the flange of the can end to be lined. The loss occasioned by thewaste resulting from the cutting of the gasket liner from the stock ofliner material is considerable to the manufacturers where a largequantity of lined can ends are required, the same running into millionsper year, and the expense incident to the construction and operation ofthe machinery required for the cutting of the ring liners and assemblingof the same relative to the can ends is likewise somewhat heavy. Theseare items of importance to those engaged in the production of cans orcontainers required for the hermetic sealing of perishable goods, and itis Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 14, 1919.

Serial No. 216,996.

the loss occasioned by the waste of the paper and the expense incidentto the construction of the cutting machinery and the assembling of thecut liners relative to the can ends which the present inventionobviates, while efliciently, quickly and economically lining the canends. The method of lining the can ends comprises the forming of a freeflowing pulp mixture composed of fibrous material and water, the fibrousmaterial utilized in the present case being that known as paper-stock.The pulp employed in carrying out the invention is a mixture comprisingapproximately ten parts of water to one part of paper-stock, and themixture so formed is forced or sprayed under pressure through the mediumof a stream of heated air directly onto the flange of a positioned canend until a suflicient quantity of the pulp mixture has been applied tocover the entire surface of the can end flange, when the flow of thepulp mixture is cut off and the moisture expelled from the body of pulpdeposited on the flange of the can end. After the moisture has beenexpelled from the pulp there is left a thin deposit or intermingledlayer of dry pulp on the flange of the can end, which adheres thereto asan integral body and serves as a gasket liner for the hermetic sealingof the can end to a can body. Preferably, the moisture is expelled fromthe pulp mixture deposited onto the flange of the can end by maintainingthereon the jet of heated air after the flow of the pulp has been cutoff, which flow of heated air is maintained until substantially all themoisture has been expelled from the deposited pulp material, although,it is obvious, that any suitable means may be resorted to for expellingthe moisture from the pulp, for the drying thereof after being depositedon the flange of the can end. The fil.)rous material or paper-stock isstrong and tenacious, can be obtained at a small expense and isadmirably adapted for the production of an integral gasket liner whenapplied to the flange of the can end and the moisture expelledtherefrom.

The step of the method invention consists in forming a pulp mixture fromwhat is commonly known as paper-stock, the mixture being of such acharacter as to freely flow from within the container therefor, forcingthe mixture under pressure through the medium of a jet stream onto theflange of a positioned can end, and maintaining the flow of intermixedair and pulp onto the flange of the can end until the entire surfacethereof has been properly coated, thence expelling the moisture from thepulp so applied to the can end flange in order to leave depositedthereon a thin integral gasket liner.

Any suitably constructed apparatus may be employed for the carrying outof the invention, a simple, eflicient and practical apparatus for suchpurpose being illustrated in the accompanying sheet of drawings,wherein,

Figure 1 is a side elevation of an apparatus designed for the carryingout of the invention, the air pressure tank or reservoir and therotatable holder or turret for a can end to be lined being sectioned.

Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional top plan view taken on the line 2 2Fig. 1 of the drawings, and viewed in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 38 Fig. 2 of thedrawings and viewed in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. at is a perspective view of a partly lined can end.

In the drawings, the numeral 1 is used to designate any suitablyconstructed air receiver, 2 an air compressor for delivering air intothe receiver 1 under pressure through the pipe line 3. WVithin the receiver is located a heating coil 4, which receives steam through thesupply pipe 5 con nected therewith, the steam flowing through the coil aescaping through the outlet pipe 6 connected therewith. It will beunderstood that any suitable means may be employed for heating the airdelivered under pressure into the air receiver 1, preference being givento a heating coil owing to the simplicity thereof. A slight distancefrom the air receiver is positioned a pulp reservoir or container 7,which reservoir is sustained by a suitable frame 8. The pulp mixture isdelivered into the container or reservoir 7 through the medium of thecap controlled inlet opening 9 and pulp is withdrawn from the reservoiror container 7 through the outlet port 10 of a bracket or projectionextended from the reservoir, which said port is controlled by means of ahand actuated regulating valve 11. The frame 8 supports a bracket 12through which is extended the stem 13 of a rotatable can end holder orturret 14, which said holder is provided with a suitable retaining seat15 for the reception and retention of a can end 16 to be lined. The stem13 carries at its lower end a pinion 17 which meshes with a pinion 18secured to one end of a drive shaft 19, which shaft is driven from anysuitable outside source of power, as for instance by means of a powerbelt working over the belt wheel 20 secured to the end of the shaft 19opposite to that carrying the pinion 18. Through a ported bracket 21extended from the pulp reservoir 7 is vertically extended a suitable etdirecting nozzle 22, which projects a slight distance below the bracket21 and the discharge orifice of which is in axial alinement with theflange of a positioned can end 16 to be lined. The said nozzle 22 isformed with an inlet port 23 in open communication with the pulpdischarge port 10 horizontally disposed relative to the bracket 21. Thenozzle is connected to the air receiver by the pipe line 2st, and theflow of air from the receiver through said pipe line to the nozzle 22 isregulated by the hand controlled valve 25. There is introduced withinthe pipe line 24 adjacent to the air receiver 1, a pressure controlledregulating valve 25, which serves to relieve the pressure in the airreceiver on a given presure within the said receiver being exceeded.

In the operation of the machine the receiver 1, is filled with air underpressure from the compressor 2, and the air is heated to a giventemperature, approximately 120 degrees of heat through the medium of thesteam coil & arranged therein. It will be understood that during theoperation of the machine the can end holding turret 11 is in continuousrotation and that the can end 16 to be lined is placed within the seat15 of the said turret. lVith the can end thus positioned, the alve 25 ofthe pipe line 21 is opened to permit a jet of heated air under pressureto be projected onto the flange of the can end 16, and the valve 11 isthrown to open the outlet 10 of the pulp reservoir 7. The suctioncreated by the stream of heated air flowing through the nozzle 22 drawsthe pulp from within the container 7, which commimicate and intermingleswith the stream of heated air and is ejected under pressure as a streammixture onto the flange of the revolving can end 16. On a suflicientquantity of the pulp being sprayed or ejected onto the flange of the canend so as to entirely cover the surface thereof, the flow of pulp is cutoff by throwing the valve 11 to close the port 10, and thereafter thestream of heated air is permitted to continue to flow onto the body ofpulp placed onto the flange of the can end, the heat of said streamexpelling the moisture from the pulp mixture and drying the same,thereby leav ing deposited on the flange of the can end a thin integralfibrous gasket liner. The flow of the heated air is then cut off and thecan end removed from within its seat, when the operation is repeated onthe introduction of an unlined can end into the seat of the rotatableturret 14:. It will be understood that the body of pulp within thecontainer or reservoir 7 should preferably be kept under agitation inorder to prevent the settling of the fiber of the paper-stock Within thereservoirand forv this purpose there is extended from the air line 3 abranch air pipe 3 which leads to jet nozzles 4; extended through thebottom of the reservoir 7, the air under pressure to said jetnozzlesbeing controlled by the valve 5. On the opening of the valve 5, airunder pressure is admitted to the jet nozzles 4 and is. ejectedtherefrom onto the confined body of pulp mixture, as streams of airunder pressure, the jet streams thus admitted maintaining the pulpwithin the container in a condition ofagitation and preventing thesettling of the paper stock.

Inasmuch as the pulp is spread onto the flange of the can end as anintermixed stream of air, water and pulp, there is a thorough mixture ofthe pulp as discharged with the body of air onto the flange of thepositioned can end and the intermixtnre thus produced causes a bondunion between the fibers of the fibrous material or the papenstock usedfrom which to produce the pulp mixture, which when applied to the canend and the moisture removed therefrom forms a compact integral pulpgasket liner for the hermetic sealing of a container when the lined canend is seamed thereto. lsually where a mixture is utilized for applyingto the flange of a can end for the forming of a compound liner thereof,there is intermixed with the material from which the liner is to beformed a suitable adherent for causing an adhesion of the mixture afterthe application thereof to the flange of the can end, such adherentbeing required in said cementitious compound in order to secure theproper cohesion between the particles of the materials used for theforming of the compound. Experiments under the present invention for thelining of can ends for the hermetic sealing thereof to can bodies orcontainers of food products has demonstrated that such adhesive materialis not required to be embodied within the pulp mixture and that the samemay be successfully :liminated, inasmuch as the fibrous portions of thepulp applied in the manner hereinbefore set forth when dried forms ahomogeneous mass, so that the deposit left onto the flange of the canend after the removal of the moisture therefrom is an integral pulpliner. There being no adhesive material of any kind employed inconnection with the compound utilized under the present method for thepulp lining of can ends, the liner so applied to the flange of the canend is sanitary in all respects.

In carrying out the invention any suitable form of fibrous material maybe employed as the stock from which to produce the pulp mixture for theforming of the gasket liners therefrom, which stock may be procured fromthe manufacturers of paper in the form of a thick heavy dough compoundwhich when suitably reduced by the intermixture with water inapproximately the proportion of ten parts of water to one part of thecompound forms a thin even flowing pulp mixture of a character admirablysuited for the formation of the thin gasket liners required in the artfor the hermetic sealing of the can ends and can bodies.

While preference is given to expelling of the moisture from thedeposited pulp mixture, through the medium of a, continuance of theheated air jet directed onto the applied pulp mixture after the cuttingoff of the pulp supply, it is obvious that various means may be resortedto for this purpose.

Inasmuch as the pulp mixture is drawn into the nozzle and dischargedtherefrom through the medium of the hot air under pressure, it isapparent that the pulp mixture is raised to the temperature of theheated stream and as the two discharge from the nozzle as an intermixedstream a certain proportion of the moisture contained within the pulpmixture is evaporated therefrom prior to being applied to the flange ofa positioned can end, so that the same is deposited onto the flange ofthe said end as a semi-solid body.

It will be noted that under the described method there is a gradualbuilding up of the gasket liner relative to the flange of the can end,the jet pressure under which the pulp is applied being such as to causethe fibers of the pulp to thoroughly interlace, the result being afterthe expelling or the evaporization of the moisture from the depositedpulp the formation of an integral gasket liner. This building up of thepulp and the inter-binding or bonding of the fiber thereof as applied tothe surface of the can end, causes a final deposit of the pulp as ahomogeneous mass, equal in all respects to a gasket liner cut from abody of liner material.

Having thus described my invention What is claimed as new and desired tobe protected by Letters Patent is:

1. The method of gasket lining can ends for use in the art for thehermetic sealing of containers, which consists in ejecting onto theflange of a positioned can end an intermixed jet stream of pulp and airuntil the surface thereof has been properly coated, thence cutting offthe supply of pulp, and finally expelling the moisture from the pulpmixture deposited onto the flange of the said can end.

2. The method of gasket lining of can ends for use in the art forhermetic sealing of containers, which consists in ejecting underpressure onto the flange of a positioned can end an intermixed jetstream of pulp and heated air, cutting off the supply of pulp to the jetstream after the coating of the flange of the said can end andthereafter maintaining the stream flow of heated air onto the. depositedpulp mixture for expelling the moisture therefrom.

3. The method of gasket lining of can ends for use in the art ofhermetic sealing of containers, which consists in ejecting onto theflange of a positioned can end a pulp coating consisting of a mixture offibers of paper stock and water, cutting off the flow of the pulpmixture on the coating of the said flange therewith, and thence exelling the moisture from the applied pulp to leave an integral linerdeposited relative to the flange of the can end.

4. The method of gasket lining of can ends for use in the art for thehermetic seal ing of containers, which consists in forming a pulpmixture of water and paper-stock, maintaining the mixture underagitation and directing a jet of heated air under pressure onto theflange of a positioned can end while pulp is intermixed therewith untilthe flange of the can end is coated with adeposit of the pulp, thencecutting off the flow of the pulp to the air stream and maintaining thestream of heated air onto the applied pulp for expellingthe moisturetherefrom.

5. The method of gasket lining can ends, which consists in directing ajet of fibers of paper pulp onto the flange of a positioned can endunder pressure to cause an interbinding of the fibers thereof,maintaining the pulp flow relative to the said flange until thoroughlycoated, thence expelling the moisture from the applied pulp to leavedeposited on the can end flange a built up integral gasket liner.

6. The method of applying a gasket liner to the flange of a revolvingcan end, the same consisting in directing under pressure a jet stream offibers of paper pulp onto the flange of the can end until entirelycoated and thence removing the moisture from the applied pulp to leave abuilt up integral gasket liner deposited onto the can end flange.

7. The method of gasket lining can ends, the same consisting in buildingup a liner by applying under pressure a jet stream of fibers of pulp tothe flange of the can end for the coating of the surface thereof, andcausing the removal of the moisture from the applied pulp for theleaving of an integral pulp ring liner on the flange of the said end.

8. The method of producing gasket-lined can ends, which consists informing a freely fluid and relatively thin mixture of paper pulp andwater, in which mixture the water considerably predominates inproportion over the fibrous elements, depositing said mixture on a canend, and removing the water so as to leave the paper fibers adherentdirectly to the can end in the form of a thin gasket.

9. The method of producing gasket-lined can ends, which consists informing a freely fluid and relatively thin mixture of paper pulp andwater, in which mixture the water considerably predominates inproportion over the fibrous elements, depositing said mixture on a canend in such manner as to build up successive layers of intermingledfibers, and removing the water so as to leave the paper fibers adherentdirectly to the can end in the form of a thin gasket.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

IVAN D. THORNBURGH.

Witnesses:

N. A. AQKER, D. B. RICHARDS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

